I was disappointed by Lawry’s, not by the food itself, but by the choice. I was hoping that we’d have Korean wedding reception-style buffet replete with enormous tangled piles of banchan, bulgogi, and jahp-chae, but I’m probably the only Korean person in LA who doesn’t eat Korean food on a regular basis.

Anyway.

That’s when I asked myself the question. What is it about the white people version of galbi? Is it the taste of the meat? Is it what the meat symbolizes — the American Dream? Is it the luxury and indulgence?

And that’s when I realized that it’s not even the prime rib. It’s the association.